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| Sgt Matiu Ratana: Murder accused pointed gun at police officer, trial told | Sgt Matiu Ratana: Murder accused pointed gun at police officer, trial told |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Sgt Matiu Ratana was the on duty custody sergeant | Sgt Matiu Ratana was the on duty custody sergeant |
| A man accused of murdering a Metropolitan Police officer by shooting him at a custody centre "pulled the trigger on purpose", his trial heard. | A man accused of murdering a Metropolitan Police officer by shooting him at a custody centre "pulled the trigger on purpose", his trial heard. |
| Louis De Zoysa, 25, denies killing Sgt Matiu Ratana, 54, by shooting him at the custody centre in Croydon, south London, on 25 September 2020. | Louis De Zoysa, 25, denies killing Sgt Matiu Ratana, 54, by shooting him at the custody centre in Croydon, south London, on 25 September 2020. |
| Duncan Penny KC opened the prosecution by saying: "Louis De Zoysa pulled the trigger on purpose four times". | |
| He added Mr De Zoysa "injured himself with the fourth shot". | |
| Prosecutors allege Sgt Ratana, who was the on duty custody sergeant, was killed while Mr De Zoysa was handcuffed in a holding cell. | Prosecutors allege Sgt Ratana, who was the on duty custody sergeant, was killed while Mr De Zoysa was handcuffed in a holding cell. |
| Mr Penny KC said: "The prosecution say Louis De Zoysa pointed his gun at Sgt Ratana", and that he "pulled the trigger on purpose twice when he was pointing the gun at Sgt Ratana". | |
| "There is CCTV footage and other video of what happened," Mr Penny KC told jurors at Northampton Crown Court. | |
| Louis De Zoysa arriving at court at the start of his trial on Tuesday in a wheelchair | Louis De Zoysa arriving at court at the start of his trial on Tuesday in a wheelchair |
| "The video and the audio shows Louis De Zoysa killing Matthew Ratana," the prosecutor said. | |
| On the opening day of the case on Tuesday, the court heard the fourth shot hit Mr De Zoysa in the neck, causing him to suffer brain damage. | On the opening day of the case on Tuesday, the court heard the fourth shot hit Mr De Zoysa in the neck, causing him to suffer brain damage. |
| As a result, he will be assisted by an intermediary during his trial and uses a whiteboard because of communication difficulties, the jurors were told. | As a result, he will be assisted by an intermediary during his trial and uses a whiteboard because of communication difficulties, the jurors were told. |
| "I am going to be talking in short sentences and simple words," Mr Penny KC told the court on Wednesday. "This is so that Louis De Zoysa can understand what I am saying." | |
| The prosecution started their case by recounting the events that led up to the shooting. | |
| Mr De Zoysa appeared at a previous hearing in March | |
| It told the jury that: "On Friday 25 September 2020, Louis de Zoysa was walking along London Road, in Norbury." | |
| He was stopped by the police and searched by police officers on the street and handcuffed, the jury was told. | |
| "The police officers found that Louis De Zoysa was carrying cannabis and seven rounds of ammunition but the police officers did not find that Louis De Zoysa was carrying a loaded revolver in a holster. | |
| "The gun and holster were probably concealed under one of his armpits," the court was told. | |
| Mr De Zoysa was then taken to Croydon Police Station and put in a holding room, still handcuffed. | |
| Jurors were told: "Louis De Zoysa kept the gun hidden and was able to point the gun at Sgt Ratana," who was on duty. | |
| "He deliberately shot Sgt Ratana, once to the chest, at very close range. He did not give a warning." | |
| The court heard the other officers present were not able to stop Mr De Zoysa, and the shot caused a fatal injury to Sgt Ratana's left lung and heart. The prosecution says this was "deliberate". | |
| Three further shots, including the one that injured Mr De Zoysa, were fired during a struggle with the other officers, the court was told. | |
| The prosecution alleges "the second shot was another deliberate shot at Sgt Ratana". | |
| Mr De Zoysa, of Banstead, Surrey, pleaded not guilty to murder during a previous hearing at the same court in April. | Mr De Zoysa, of Banstead, Surrey, pleaded not guilty to murder during a previous hearing at the same court in April. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
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| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Banstead | Banstead |
| Croydon | Croydon |
| Metropolitan Police Service | Metropolitan Police Service |
| London | London |